Blog by Alex Deve – all those ideas are mine and just mine. Blame me for it. Nobody else.

Crabs from Whole Foods… suck!

I’ve been doing some experiments in the last weeks on crabs. Crabs. That’s quite basic. But you know what? Companies like Whole Foods still managed to screw it up. How it it possible? Easy! Just boil crab in water, and have them sit on the counter for several days before you sell them.

We just went to Whole Foods and bought two crabs, looking forward to eating them in a quiet and relaxing evening. After one bite, we knew it would be a disaster. Even the shrimps that I bought to accompany the crab were much better. Shrimps Vs crabs, the shrimps should never win. It’s like the 49ers playing the Patriots. Or the Red Sox playing the Giants for baseball fans. Well, today, the shrimps won. Big time. The loser? Whole Foods.

So, people from Whole Foods, here’s how you can actually make your crab good. Have them alive somewhere you. Boil them, but not in plain water. Cooking class 101. Boil water, and add tons of black pepper. If you can smell the water without your noise going crazy, it means there isn’t enough. Add some salt. You can also add carrots, onions, celery etc… Like you would do for a broth. Once the water boils a lot, throw the live crab, head first. It will kill them straight away, and yes, they won’t suddenly jump out of the pot to bite you. Usually, a bit less than 20 minutes is enough.

What happens when you cook a crab? The water gets into the crab, in the meat and sit around it. That’s why when you eat it, you have some water at the bottom of your plate! As you eat the crab, and break the shell, the water comes out. If that water is plain, your crab will be plain. If that water has some flavors, your crab will get the flavor as well. On top of that, if the crab is fresh, obviously, the whole experience will be much, much better.